do-gooder

noun

do-good·​er ˈdü-ˌgu̇-dər How to pronounce do-gooder (audio)
: an earnest often naive humanitarian or reformer
do-gooding noun or adjective

Examples of do-gooder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But at the end of last season, her ne’er-do-well son, Oscar (Blake Ritson), lost her fortune in a scam, while Nixon’s do-gooder, Ada, received a surprise windfall, inheriting money from a now-dead husband, played by Robert Sean Leonard. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 June 2025 The civic do-gooders at CTBA, as it’s known, are pushing a complicated solution to Illinois’ ongoing pension crisis. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025 Public benefits were reserved primarily for the families of veterans, and private charity went almost exclusively to widows, for even do-gooders were loath to let absent fathers off the hook by helping their children. Augustine Sedgewick, Time, 13 June 2025 Gone is the campy do-gooder; she’s been modernized, made savvy to the social and political tenor of the current day. Aviva Dove-Viebahn, Scientific American, 9 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for do-gooder

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of do-gooder was in 1925

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Cite this Entry

“Do-gooder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/do-gooder. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.

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